Earlier today, we projected the members of the 2019-2020 U.S. National Team, based on top times from the qualifying period. Now, let’s look at those who appear to be in line for USA Swimming’s athlete support stipends.

Swimmers beyond the top 16 in world ranks can’t earn stipends, but that’s not typically an issue. In fact, the reverse is more often true: athletes with top 16 world ranks still won’t earn stipends if their world rank is lower than 26 other Americans. This year, we have about 13 women and 6 men with world ranks inside the top 16 who won’t make the overall cut of 26 funding-earning Americans.

Top 26 Americans in Overall World Rank in Best Event

Note: the official national team isn’t selected until September 3, using the world ranks from January 1, 2019 through August 25, 2019. That means no future swims can impact these lists, but a past swim getting retroactively added to the FINA World Rankings could impact the ranks, lists and funding below.

For the men, Saunderson wins a tie with Ryan Lochte, who was also ranked 13th worldwide. Saunderson’s next-best world rank was 78th in the 200 fly, while Lochte’s next-best was 118th in the 100 back.

Here are the other top-16 ranked swimmers who won’t receive funding, because they are outside of the top 26 Americans:

Women:

Athlete

Top World Rank

Event

Kaersten Meitz

12

400 free

Isabelle Stadden

12

200 back

Lillie Nordmann

12

200 fly

Ally McHugh

13

1500 free

Phoebe Bacon

13

100 back

Breeja Larson

14

100 breast

Kendyl Stewart

14

100 fly

Amanda Kendall

14

100 fly

Allison Schmitt

16

200 free

Kensey McMahon

16

1500 free

Micah Sumrall

16

200 breast

Dakota Luther

16

200 fly

Makayla Sargent

16

400 IM

Men:

Athlete

Top World Rank

Event

Ryan Lochte

13

200 IM

Nathan Adrian

15

50 free

Cody Miller

15

100 breast

Carson Foster

15

400 IM

Kieran Smith

16

200 free

Justin Ress

16

100 back

These athletes could be bumped up if anyone in the top 26 earns better funding as an open water swimmer. Athletes can only accept a stipend from either pool or open water, not both.

Funding Levels

As a refresher, professional athletes earn the highest levels of funding. College and high school athletes earn lower levels based on their need to maintain amateur status for eligibility. College athletes earn a lower level during the school year (September through May) and the higher level listed over the summer (June, July, August). Athletes who sign the USA Swimming Athlete Partnership Agreement are subject to more requirements on appearances, paperwork filing, competition plans, etc., but earn the higher total listed. Athletes who don’t sign the APA earn the lower funding.

High school and college athletes are limited in how much they can earn to keep amateurism status and maintain NCAA/high school eligibility.

Vote Up30-1Vote Down Reply

19 days ago

Spectator

Highschool athletes are definitely being taken care of by their parents, and to some extent so are the college swimmers (the ones on this list are most likely getting full scholarships anyway) where as the pros can’t maintain any decent full time job and still swim, so yes they need the money more. That’s also less than $40,000 a year if they’re top 8 in the world which can be less than average starting salary out of college (depending on where you’re getting the job). Being a professional athlete is a full time job, and i’d find it very hard to believe anyone could maintain this status and make money elsewhere.

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19 days ago

leisurely1:29

Happy for Saunderson. Young kid from Towson needs the money way more than Lochte, who, even in the wake of Rio, still makes a comfortable living. Best situation all around to come from the tie.

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19 days ago

Well

As long as he doesn’t film “What Would Jack Saunderson Do?”

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19 days ago

NCSwimFan

Or go on Big Brother

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19 days ago

bobbyv

For some of the pros this could be career ending due to lack of funding.

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19 days ago

Superfan

Agree but that is how it goes. If you are a pro athlete, you get paid for performance If you don’t perform, then no money. Still 52 get funding so they performed!

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19 days ago

bobbyv

Not really. To say those that got bumped didn’t perform is a stretch. They are all still top 16 in the world. It’s sad that USA Swimming can’t fund USA Natl Team members to this end. Top 16 in the world is still worthy of a stipend in any sport. Some of these swimmers are even ranked 3rd or 4th in the US and still don’t get funding? With scholarships scarce and funding at the top level even more miniscule, not much incentive (financial) to compete in an otherwise relatively expensive sport.

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19 days ago

The Kraken

With all of the money available for the pro swim series, you’d think they could divert a bit of that into maintaining the US’s depth.

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19 days ago

Superfan

So 26 female and 26 male gymnasts get funded by their national body? 26 female basketball players? 26 volleyball? 26 track? Tennis? Divers? Check out their funding policies. I think USA Swimming funds plenty of swimmers. Many of those swimmers could have gone to Nationals or World Cup to get a better ranking but chose not to….

Vote Up19-6Vote Down Reply

19 days ago

dmswim

An Olympic squad for basketball, gymnastics, volleyball, tennis, or diving is much smaller than it is for swimming. For example, U.S. Men’s gymnastics has 12 men on the senior national team while the Olympic squad only consists of 5. You are comparing apples and oranges.

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19 days ago

Superfan

Being on the National team for let’s say diving doesn’t mean they are getting much funding. Ask a diver who went to Worlds how much their monthly funding is from the federation? I know it is like $500 per month!

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19 days ago

JoeSwammer

USA Swimming has to pay the four pages of staff listed in the 2019 Rule Book. Serving the membership is a foreign concept to them.

Vote Up19-2Vote Down Reply

19 days ago

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though.
Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …